Of Spirits and Demons
by Ellie Ivy
Summary: Four years after the events of ParaNorman, the gang find themselves stuck in a new adventure. Instead of zombies, they come face to face with something so differently horrifying and must learn the damage that a demonic spirit can really do. - Does have some romance in future. I will update summary as the story goes... Rated T for some violence and darkness. Just to be careful.
1. A Clap of Thunder

Chapter 1:

The sound of rain beat down onto his window with the beat that sounded similar to one that a two year old would make on a pot with a wooden spoon. Thunder clapping every now and then and making the little humble abode of the Babcock family. It was just a passing thunder storm but he could tell from the way the air was changing that the rain would remain.

"Happy birthday, Norman!" Neil cheered as he gave Norman a pat on the back. Norman smiled as thanked him softly before looking at the cake that had brightly colored candles burning. He wasn't one who was much of an attention hoarder. It made him sometimes pretty uneasy... He blamed it on the years of growing up with no positive attention.

"Fifteen candles..." his mother spoke as she sat down in the seat beside him. "Too many more and I think we may have to call the fire department." This made Norman chuckle. It was true that obtaining fifteen years of age was something that he wasn't completely ready for. That was a number that seemed strange to him. He was only a few months into his freshman year which had gone pretty smoothly so far with the help of Courtney who was now a senior. It was even stranger that he could start learning to drive. That thought was something that made him smile... Not because he was only a year shy from getting to actually drive a car by himself- freedom. No, he smiled because he could only imagine his father right now in the passenger seat with knuckles white from the grip on anything in his reach as Norman went through town.

"Come on, Norman," Courtney huffed. "If you don't blow out the candles soon, we might be calling the fire department earlier than we want." Norman nodded and heaved a breath.

Before he could let it out, he felt the hand of his grandmother's spirit on his shoulder. "Hold it! Don't you wanna make a wish?" she asked. He looked up at her floating form and shrugged. He wasn't much for wishes.

"What did your grandmother tell you?" his father asked as he wore quite an annoyed expression. He didn't quite like that his mother could communicate to his son and he couldn't censor anything that she would fill his mind with.

"She told me to make a wish, Dad," Norman turned slightly to look at his father. Perry let out a sigh and waved a hand to gesture for him to continue.

"Do what you want... This family has learned to live with the paranormal. I guess we can live with magic..."

Norman heaved his another breath and this time let it out as he extinguished each of the little flames that danced off of the wicks. He wasn't sure what had gone through his mind but when he made his wish, he ended up asking for something new.

Life had been a little bleak since his "life changing" adventure about four years before and now he was just hoping for something beyond the norm. He loved seeing his friends at school and he loved going to school. Not to mention, he was really enjoying his popularity around town. Some residents even paid him to ghost whisper if they had any sense of a strange presence or prankster poltergeists. Still... He felt that he was missing on something and that there was something that he could do to deviate from his everyday schedule.

"What did you ask for, Norman?!" Neil asked when the candles were no longer lit and Norman just looked at them contently.

"Doesn't that make the wish void, Neil?" Norman inquired. Neil shrugged and only leaned back a little in his seat.

"I dunno... You are the one who fought a witch. Wasn't that enough proof of magic?" Neil asked as Mrs. Babcock reached over Norman to get the cake to begin cutting.

"Well... I did. But I- I don't think that was really magic that we are talking about," Norman shook his head. "No... In fact. I think that Agatha's gift was one that made her a Tesla Coil when her emotions were switched too quickly." Neil nodded and accepted his cake- dropping the conversation. Norman was proud of his description of Agatha's "power". He felt that she had been more energy than she had been magic. Perhaps that was what people believed magic to be but he just felt that her gift was such a special case that she appeared to use witchcraft and magic.

Courtney then announced that she was going to go outside to make a call. Those who remained ate their cake and ice cream with idle chit-chat to pass the time. When Norman had finished off his strawberry ice cream, he cleaned off his spoon and looked into the convex side to see his reflection.

He had changed no doubt. It was almost as if he had shot up a good few inches but still was pretty skinny. He was surprised that his complexion remained quite the same as if he had no problems. He was growing into his voice well and had noticed that he little to no cracks anymore. Some girls at school had sent him valentines last year telling him that he was quite the cutie. He however never found any interest in any of the girls around the school and if any of them were "cute", they were older than him and he knew that they wouldn't even think about it...

He laid the spoon down and in the process, almost dropped it when the front door slammed and startled him. Everybody stopped what they were doing to find Courtney with her fuzzy bath robe. She walked through the kitchen to get to the back door and seemed troubled.

"Courtney, dear... What is wrong?" her mother asked as she watched her daughter turn the knob. A clap of thunder sounded out and made them all gasp because the tension in the room had already met the level to make everybody nervous.

"Nothing... Nothing, Mom," she said shakily. "Just... Going outside. Be back in a bit!" She left while everybody stared. Norman frowned and felt his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe she-"

"No, Norman. She is just having a moment. All women have moments like these..." Perry assured his son.

"Perry!"

"Sandra!" he huffed back. Norman let out a groan and looked out the window to find Courtney marching off to town. The rain was pouring and it seemed that she was trying her best to keep the robe dry.

Neil looked at Norman to reveal an expression of confusion but Norman only gave him a look to convey that he had no idea what was going on. Though he really wished he knew.

"Sweetheart..." his grandmother's voice came from behind him. He turned in his seat. "Don't you think that you should go find out what your sister is up to? I think that she may have something that she is trying to hide... Just so your father can't over ride me, I give you permission to go and investigate..." She gave him that smile that made him almost cry he missed her so much. That inspirational smile that makes him feel like he can do anything. He just grinned back.

"Hey, Dad?" he began. "Neil and I are going to see what Courtney is doing... And Grandma gave me permission by the way..." Before Perry could argue, Sandra grabbed his arm and nodded to her son.

"Since Grandma gave you permission, you may go. Make sure you and Neil don't get hit by lightning."

"Alright... We will be careful," he told them. He then motioned for Neil to get up and hurried to the door.

As he and Neil walked into the backyard, the rain beating down on their faces. It made Norman hesitate for a second before he looked at Neil. "Why are we going after your sister?"

"I don't know... I just have this feeling," Norman told him.

"What do you mean?"

"Just a feeling... I don't know. Maybe we might have our own little adventure," he grinned. "After all. When was the last time your parents let you play in a thunder storm?" With that, he continued on through the rain.


	2. Dead Party

The rain was cold as it hit their faces. They had found that Courtney was heading to the cemetery through the help of passing spirits on their way. Norman had only made a few visits to the cemetery since his little zombie incident and he had forgotten how long the trip seemed to be by foot. Perhaps time seemed to pass at light speed and they were feeling behind because they were cold and ready to just go back. Still, Norman felt that there was something that he was going to miss if he didn't go and find where his sister had gone.

It was strange that Courtney was going to the cemetery. She was one who usually avoided cemeteries like the plague... Reasons Norman was never really able to pin point. Still, no matter how many ghosts he asked, they all pointed him in the direction of the Blithe Hollow graveyard.

Upon reaching the little fenced in area, Neil froze. "Are you sure we should have followed your sister here? What if we walk in and her crazy senior friends are all partying and stuff?" Neil asked Norman. "I don't think I am ready for that man! I am only a freshman!"

"I think we are alright. Courtney won't even think about partying in the rain... Less alone in a graveyard..." Norman responded as he unhooked the fence and pushed the gate open. The hinges squealing in protest. "Anyway... The party would be... Dead. If you catch my drift..." He knew that no matter how bad his humor was, Neil would always laugh nonetheless and follow him.

As they made their way down the path, they found Courtney emerge from the wooded area of the graveyard. With her, she was leading somebody who wore her now semi-soaked robe and who's face was hidden by a mass of wet, dark hair. Courtney had one arm around her shoulders and the other on her arm closest to her as she walked.

"Courtney?" Norman gasped. "What are you-"

"Trust me... I am flipping out just as much as you are..." she assured him.

"I'm not flipping out!" he replied. "Yet..."

"Well then... If you will please excuse me. I must be going. You should to or you will catch a cold and then you can get pneumonia and then you could die and Dad would never let me hear the end of it..." She pushed past Neil and Norman and almost made it half way before both of the boys jogged to catch up. They jumped in front of her to block her path and she gasped in surprise.

"Leave me alone!"

"No! We are not keeping secrets! You tell me what is going on right now, Courtney or so help me! I will-"

"Norman?" a voice, so soft that if it were any decibels lower, there would have been no way they would have even heard a thing. Mid sentence, Norman's angry expression toward his sister changed to one of confusion.

"Who was that?"

"Norman..." the voice came again and this time he found it came from the body that Courtney was leading.

The girl released herself from Courtney's grasp and began to move forward but her feet knees seemed to wobble under her own weight and she came falling down. Just in time, Norman was able to catch her body from hitting the ground. However, during the process of her fall, the girl's hair had flown from her face in a hap-hazard sort of way and revealed her face.

She was pale and frail. Her eyes were big and quite intriguing.

Then, just as if it were him who were the one hitting the ground, reality struck him...

"Oh my God... _Aggie_."

_Hello! So... For those who have read- I thank you! I have had about 24 readers in the past few days and that is good! I can tell that the ParaNorman fans are very little here on FanFiction and I decided that I was going to make something of my own. Hopefully, I can find myself some time and focus to finish it. I am horrible about being all bark and no bite. :( Anyway, I would really appreciate it if I could get some reviews. I very rarely hear from my readers and when I do get one, I am ecstatic! I love to hear what you guys have to say._

_I hope that nobody freaks that I have brought back Aggie. I love her character and I was very sad that not many people pay her mind on here. If they do, I think that it is very brief. SO, I am going to bring her in and really make her appearance worth-while. :) Thanks again for reading and review if you can! _

_-Ellie_


	3. Bringing Her Home

Chapter 3

There was a strange silence for a small moment. Neil only gave Norman a look of surprise and confusion and Courtney moaned and messages her temples as though there was something causing her a headache.

"Hi, Norman..." Angie's voice came. It almost made him jump if it weren't for her warm breath on his collar bone where she was resting her head. She shivered in his arms as he held her on her feet.

"You know her?" Neil asked as he leaned over to his friend. Norman looked down on Aggie to see if it was really her and when she smiled faintly up at him, he found it was all real.

"Yeah... I know her," Norman grinned as he rubbed Aggie's arm to attempt to warm her but found that's she was still shivering. "I will explain to you later..."

"Norman?" Courtney mumbled as she shook her head in attempt to clear her vision. "Why are we... Why are we here?!" She looked around with panic in her eyes. Norman found that explaining was going to be difficult. He just let out a sigh and held Aggie out to arms length to look at her better.

"I think we need to head back to my house... To get out of the rain..." She nodded in agreement and slumped against him. He could only grin. Boy was he in trouble when his parents saw him walk in soaked to the bone with a girl in tow...

The door swung open and they all stumbled in. Shoes sloshing with water and clothes dripping. Norman was exhausted from walking all the way home with Aggie hanging on him. He didn't really blame her. If he were a dead girl suddenly flesh and blood after 300 years and reanimating on a stormy night- he would be the one hanging on her for support.

"Norman Babcock!" his father grumbled from the kitchen. Aggie seemed to become stiff when she heard the sound and grabbed on tighter to his shirt.

"Hey, Dad! We're back..."

Norman's grandmother floated by and gave him a smirk. "What!?" he asked.

"Just be ready... I would never forget how your grandfather reacted to whey our father brought home his first girlfriend..." she grinned slyly and floated off with a wink.

"Was that Grandma?" Courtney murmured as she rubbed her eyes. She had complained of a splitting headache all the way home. Norman nodded in response. "What did she say?"

"Um... Nothing. Just told me she was going out tonight with the local spirits to play some card games," he lied. She shrugged in response and walked up the stairs. Norman let out a sigh because he knew that bringing a girl to the house was already going to cause a stir with his parents but he didn't want Courtney too excited too. Luckily, she was too woozy to really comprehend that there was a female his age in their house... Nobody would know that his grandmother had said anything but him...

"Take Aggie with you too, Courtney," Norman stopped her half way. "Let her borrow some of your pajamas and get a bath started for her. I will explain to Mom and Dad in a bit..." He bit his lip. This was going to be a major feat. Nonetheless, he still had to tell them that he was planning on letting a girl stay in his bed while he slept downstairs (of course).

Courtney nodded in response to his request and helped Aggie from Norman's grasp and began to lead her upstairs. He couldn't help but smile because they both looked like two drunks trying to prove to their friends that they could walk straight in a three-legged race. Neil only responded with a confused look which Norman shrugged off.

"Who is she?" he whispered.

"She tried to kill me once. That was four years ago though... I believe that you were there with me when I was searching for her burial place..."

"Wait! Somebody tried to kill you? I thought it was that witch..."

"That was her..." Norman sighed as he pulled Neil into the kitchen. They were both surprised to see not only Perry and Sandra but also Neil's brother standing with them.

"I don't remember the party invitation telling us about playing I the rain, Norman..." Mitch greeted. "Happy birthday though..."

"Um... Thanks. But we had a very good reason for going in the rain."

"If you can explain to us in the most normal way you can, we may be able to overlook this insanity."

Norman decided that the only normal thing about the whole event was that there was a girl in the house. He would have to start with that... Starting with the whole," Courtney led us to a girl that has been dead for over 300 years just suddenly reanimated and came to us for help" was just not going to cut it... He was going to have to save that for last...

"Mom, Dad... There is a girl upstairs..."

_Hi guys! I have been so dead on here. Sorry. I haven't really thought about it until this week I have been on vacation. My world can get a little crazy. More should be coming up soon. Please review and give me some ideas on how much you are liking it so far. _


	4. Head First

It was a lot more difficult than he had anticipated when it came to explaining why there was a girl upstairs to his father and Mitch. His mother on the other hand seemed to be slightly bothered but seemed more worried about him catching a cold.

While she brought down a load of towels, Norman began to explain more and more with as much detail as he could about what had happened. His father's expression remained the same: shocked with a mixture of fear (more of the fear that his son was bringing home the opposite sex already at the age of fifteen).

"But Dad... It was so weird. You will never believe this..." Norman grinned slightly.

"I think that your father has learned to always think the opposite when you say that, Norman dear..." his mother told him softly as she took the wet towel that he had dried his hair with and handed him another to wrap around his wet clothes.

"No... This even threw me for a loop. I-"

"We're all about to be eaten alive by ravenous squirrels?" Mitch sighed. "I just knew that the moment that you, out of all people, said that something 'threw you for a loop', we were going to-"

"Mitch!" Neil hissed at his brother as he threw his wet towel at his brother's face. Mitch didn't seem to mind too much as he nonchalantly removed the towel and kindly handed it to Mrs. Babcock as she passed by.

"No... I am serious. No ravenous squirrels. I promise," Norman shook his head. He pulled his towel tighter around his shoulders and felt a chill run down his back. He had a feeling that there was something not right but he wasn't wanting to jump to conclusions. Nobody seemed to feel it... So he just guessed that it was an outcome from the thought of Aggie reanimating. "Dad. Mom... The girl upstairs. She- she's the one that I met four years ago. The... Um..."

Well... He had himself stuck. He couldn't just say that she was the one that he met and tried to kill him. He closed his eyes and sighed. "The girl upstairs is Agatha. The girl that I had told you guys about before."

"That girl?" Sandra asked and looked at her husband who was on the verge of exploding. Norman couldn't quite tell what would cause this. Anger or disbelief. Perhaps both.

"The girl from that night... With the-"

"The undead. Yes."

"The witch?" Mitch gasped. As much as Norman enjoyed hanging with Mitch, sometimes he couldn't stand the guy's mentality of "speak now, think later".

"She wasn't a witch..." he defended. "She was just... Um- emotionally unstable." He knew that wasn't going to help anything. He didn't think twice of it and immediately decided to switch the direction of the conversation. "The point is... She was dead. Now she is alive!"

"Norman! What did we say about bringing more dead people into the house!?" his father snapped.

"You guys don't get it! She isn't dead! Not anymore... She has flesh and blood pumping just like we have. She had reanimated and I have no freaking idea why and I am just as confused as you guys so..."

The other four stood there for a little while in response to his snap.

Finally his father sighed and looked at the sky as if to pray that he wasn't going to regret what might come out of his mouth at any time. When he looked down, he looked into his son's eyes with as much understanding and patience as he could muster. "Alright, son. You tell us what we are going to do..."

Norman couldn't help but grin when he received this response. He could feel himself loosen up. "Well... We take it slow," he told them. "We can't have her mentally out of whack. She just came back after 304 years. We have to take it slow or she may lose her mind. The she will become emotionally unstable and believe me... You don't want to witness that." They all nodded.

He looked at the clock and saw that it read quarter after nine. Neil seemed to have read his mind because he looked at his brother and pulled at him. "Come on, Mitch. Mom and Dad are going to wonder why we aren't home when you said that we would be." Mitch came out of his daze and shrugged.

"I guess you're right..." he said as he began to go towards the door.

"You sure you guys don't want to stay a little longer?" Sandra asked with a nervous grin. Norman knew what that grin meant. He just rolled his eyes.

"I think that we should be getting home, Mrs. Babcock. The rain is picking up and our parents wouldn't be to excited if Neil caught a cold..." Mitch replied with a sigh. Neil let out a groan as he jumped in front of his brother to leave the house.

"You have the same odds of getting a cold, too, Mitch," he told him. Mitch just shrugged. "I will see you tomorrow, Norman?"

Norman hadn't thought about leaving the house in the morning. He wasn't really one to leave the house very often. He could find things that he could busy himself with. Usually he had a lot of requests to talk to some of the Blithe Hollow residents' passed relatives or friends. He didn't really mind because he enjoyed how relieved the people would appear if Norman had told them that he couldn't find them- usually meaning that they had moved onto a better place. He also enjoyed the idea that so many people were embracing his gift... He had a lot of requests through the mail and email alike. His desk and email would get so crowded with requests...

"I guess so..." he finally replied, giving Neil a small grin. "I got to figure out what to do about this whole... um... Reanimation thing." That was what was going to be the time consumer.

"Okay! Just give me a call when you want to meet up!" Neil beamed as he exited with a wave.

Mitch gave Norman's parents a polite nod of the head and looked at Norman. "Whatever is going on... Be careful, bud," Mitch told him. "No repeats of last time."

"I know, Mitch. I still have some things to figure out so I am not jumping head first into anything. At least not yet..."

"Just making sure..." he grinned slightly. "Better get going. Happy birthday and tell your sister I said 'hi'." Norman nodded and gave him a smile.

From there... Norman knew that if any funny business went down, he was going to end up dragging them into a mess. Even if he tried not to. He just knew that they were going to jump head first if he did... A feeling of relief that he had some people to back him up. And he was willing to accept the fact that he was going to be the one to hit the ground first

_This chapter was a little but of a filler. I was kinda brain dead for some reason while writing it. I am going to get to the action soon. I think that I may have a Norman/Aggie scene come up at some point... Dunno. Just a cute friendship scene. _


	5. Doors Ajar

Norman began to rummage through the linen closet in the upstairs hallway; pulling out a few blankets and a pillow for the couch downstairs. He began to close the door when he found somebody standing by him.

"Oh my- Aggie!? You scared me!" he gasped. Her hair was wet from her shower and she was wearing what seemed like a pair of Courtney's old flower pajama pants that she had outgrown. She wore what seemed like one of Norman's t-shirts that had a zombie hand coming through the ground with a caption above reading- "Grawr!". Norman couldn't help but chuckle at how the shirt was a few sizes too big for her. He preferred well fitted shirts himself but his aunt had gotten it for him for Christmas two years before and hadn't cared to ask his size. He was glad that she could get some use out of it though.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to frighten you," Aggie apologized softly as she bent down to pick up the pillow Norman had dropped in his fright. She handed it to him and gave a small grin. "I have to start getting use to declaring my presence in a room. People never really- um... Cared much about where I was. If I was in the room, the only one that cared about talking to me was my mother." Norman frowned as he took the pillow from her gently and put it under his arm.

"It is alright! I wasn't paying attention. Usually my family members are so loud that I know exactly when they are approaching or where they are. I will get use to it..." he assured her. She looked at her bare toes. A silence fell across them.

"I-I'm glad that you are getting some use out of that shirt. I don't think that I have worn it since I got it..." Norman told her. Her head shot up and she cocked her head to the side to convey her confusion. Then as though it smacked her in the face, she let out a little gasp and her hands flew up to grab the shirt's bottom seams and pull it taut. She looked at the graphic on it and gave a giggle.

"Oh! Yes... You sister seemed to be taken aback by the appearance of it. She came into her room with it and was mumbling about how she had no idea where it came from. I was weary to wear it at first... For I wasn't very sure what it was. Still trying to figure it out..." she told him.

"Have you been in my room yet?"

"No... Only your sister."

"Well, come with me." He laid the things in his arms down at the door and gestured for her to follow him. She quirked an eyebrow and folded her hands behind her back. Norman let out a chuckle. "Don't worry. I promise that times have changed. It is socially acceptable for a female to enter a male's room when she is a visitor. If it makes you feel better, I will keep the door open." She seemed to be at battle with herself over the idea. It was going to take a lot of energy for her to accept that her way of life had died out years ago. She hesitated at his door. "Agatha... I promise. Besides, this is going to be your room for now. I am staying on the couch downstairs."

"Alright..." she sighed as she stepped into the room. She took in all the sights of his room. "You like... The undead?"

"Yeah. I have always enjoyed the scary movies ever since I was little..." he sighed. "It was just something that I felt like I could enjoy with all the other people in town without them thinking... without them-"

"Hurting you?"

"Yeah... But I think that they are learning to accept my gift now," he grinned. He wanted to get off of the whole depressing subject as quick as possible because he knew that Aggie had lost her life because people around her never knew how to accept her for who she was. "They are actually asking for my help. It has took them eleven years to finally believe that who and what I saw was actually real. Then it sort of died down then I began to get all these requests to act as a medium for those who wanted to speak with their past loved ones about a year ago. They are beginning to love my gift!"

Aggie gave him a small grin but it fell the moment that she looked down. She must have thought that he didn't notice the sad glint in her eye because when he took her hand, she gasped. "They are beginning to love OUR gift, Aggie."

She couldn't help but giggle at how contagious his optimism was. Nor could she shake the tingling feeling in her toes and stomach. She just grinned at him and he gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go.

He turned and looked up at his poster filled wall. She rolled her eyes playfully. "Quite the collection!" she told him.

"Yes. I have been collecting for years. My grandma used to get me some when she could. She would surprise me with them..." he told her with a grin. "Sadly, I was heartbroken when she passed away. Luckily I had my gift so I could still talk with her. But nobody else in my family could." It made him sad for his family. Courtney had never really had the same relationship with their grandmother like Norman had but she did love her and enjoyed having her around. Their father fought with his mother but he still looked up to her and missed her. It made Norman feel bad that he was bless/cursed with his gift... "I guess I am lucky though... I-"

"He gets to talk to me whenever he wants!" came a voice that made Norman jump.

"Grandma!"

"What? I was only checking up on you!" she defended as she floated past him. It was a little annoying sometimes how she would just float in whenever he was wanting to be alone. And he loved having her there when he was unsure on something or needed advice. However, when there was a girl in the room, he was usually surprised by her in the most unwarranted times.

She had jumped in many of times when Salma was over to work on homework with him. Once he had even brought a girl that the family had no idea existed and Grandma had interrogated him so many times about when the next date it. He attempted to make sure that she was aware that the girl he brought was merely there for a tutorial on how to use the computer... She seemed to either lose interest or just stare at him blankly.

"I am aware that you were checking in on me but I left the door open..." he sighed. "I promise. We are alright."

"Thank you, Goody Babcock..." Aggie said softly as she gave a polite grin and nod of the head.

Grandma froze in mid-air. "Wait! When I made my presence known I didn't actually know that she could see me!"

"She can see you perfectly clear, Grandma."

"That's new..." she humphed. "How many kids are going to start claiming that they have the same psychic abilities before the next zombie apocalypse?"

"Chill, Grandma! Aggie is a friend. And she isn't... um-"

"I'm not from around here," Aggie finished.

"Really? Where from?"

"Were you not listening to a single thing that I was talking about in the kitchen?!" Norman groaned.

"Andy Griffith was on. I couldn't miss it... My marathon doesn't come on until next Friday! I have to get my fix..." she told him matter-of-factly.

"Well, Goody Babcock..." Aggie continued. "You see... I am actually not from this time. I died a good 300 years ago."

"Died!?" she gasped. "Norman!? Are your raising more people from the dead again?"

"NO!"

"I'm the Blithe Hollow witch!" Aggie blurted out (quite against her own will). "I am the one that the whole town made go down in infamy because of my ability to see the dead..." Grandma's face seemed to soften slightly when she saw Aggie's expression fall slightly.

"And you're alive?"

"Still figuring that out actually," Norman jumped in. "And we have a long day ahead of us so... I think that it is time for bed. Night, Grandma. Love you. I will be downstairs in a little bit."

Grandma shrugged her shoulders and turned. "Alright. I understand when I'm not needed. Don't forget to close the windows." And with that she left.

"I like her!" Aggie giggled. "She is nice." Norman just shrugged.

"She gave up her afterlife to watch over me. So, she is stuck here until I bite the dust."

"Bite dust? Isn't that unhealthy?"

Norman chuckled. "It is. It is a figure of speech for 'die'..." he informed her. She only made an "O" with her mouth and furrowed her brow in response. Then, against her will, she let out a long yawn. When she recovered, she gave him an apologetic look and rubbed her eyes.

"Excuse me!"

"You're fine. Time to get to bed I guess..." he replied as he got her bed ready. She watched him from a few feet away without a sound. When he finished, she gave a small grin.

"I still don't think that-"

"I am sleeping downstairs. That is final. Now, you are a guest and you will sleep in my room," he told her. "I don't mean to scold you Aggie... Just trying to make sure that you don't make yourself uncomfortable for my sake. I am perfectly fine on the couch... I have fallen asleep on it many nights." He gestured to the mattress and watched as she slowly climbed in. She pulled the zombie comforter up to her chin and turned onto her side so she was facing him.

"Good night, Norman..." she sighed as she closed her eyes.

"Night, Aggie..." he whispered as he clipped his zombie lamp off and tip-toed to the door.

Once on the outside, he peered in to see her form silhouetted by the moon. Her shoulders heaved up and down at a steady pace. She seemed quite peaceful. And he liked when she was peaceful...

With one last grin to himself, he carefully pulled the door shut and quietly made his way to the staircase. He knew that if he didn't get to bed, he was going to be miserable in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be full of questions. A day full of answers that he wasn't sure of...


	6. Sisters and Shopping

Norman had been more exhausted than he had thought. The moment he laid himself down on the couch in from of the television, he dozed off within minutes. He snored lightly and barely moved through the night.

He felt a dip in the couch and let out a groan. The movement disturbed him from his slumber and he stirred. He opened his eyes slightly to see somebody had sat themselves down on the very far end of the sofa where his feet were.

Letting out a yawn and pushing himself slowly to sit up, he opened his eyes. He pulled his knees up slightly to his chest and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. When his vision cleared, he realized that the person at the end of the couch was Courtney.

"Morning, Zombie-breath..." she greeted.

"Hey..." he responded. "I thought that you were somebody else."

"Why?"

"Taking into consideration your phobia of feet... Mine in particular."

"Oh. It's okay. That is the last thing on my mind right now..." she replied as she flipped through the channels.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked as he lazily pulled his knees closer to him with one arm and then stretched the other out over the back of the sofa.

"Oh. Just thinking about the type of clothes that we need to get today."

"Clothes?"

"Seriously, Norman... Agatha came here with only the clothes on her back. Clothes that aren't socially acceptable in the 21st century besides on the 31st of October," she sighed. As much as Norman hated talking about clothes and fashion with his sister, he knew that now was the best time to get over himself and talk to her about it anyway.

"Alright. I'm going to shower. When she wakes up, go into my room and find her t-shirt and then find her something from your room that she can wear for pants. The t-shirt she can tie back and she can wear that to the store..." Norman told her as he threw the blanket off of him and spun himself around, placing his feet on the floor. "Neil will be coming over sometime I guess..."

"He is more than welcome to come as long as he doesn't try on all of the lip-glosses like the last time."

"Good God... Don't remind me..."

The drive to the store had been quite interesting. After Norman and Courtney had talked Aggie into even leaving the house (for she was worried that the residents of Blithe Hollow may revert back to their violent nature at the sights of her), they were able to all get into the car. Courtney recited her never-ending list of the way to behave while she was driving. That was enough to put Norman in a bad mood.

Neil, even though he was trying to get to know Aggie better, seemed to just cause her to distance herself. It was only a matter of time before she found a way to blend into the car's interior and disappear.

When they finally got into town, Courtney found a parking spot within a few minutes of searching. The only real luck they had had that day was that the parking meter still had thirty minutes on it from the past person. Courtney put in some change for an extra hour and looked at Norman and Neil.

"Set your phone alarms because the moment you get down to ten minutes, you will come back out to pay for it. I can't allow the car to get a ticket or a boot or... God forbid: towed!" she instructed. The last part, she put her hand to her forehead dramatically. "Dad would kill me if anything happened to this piece of junk."

"Does your dad know that you call the car a piece of junk?" Neil asked.

"NO!" Norman and Courtney both gasped.

"The car is his pride and joy!" Norman told him nervously.

"It is basically our sibling..." Courtney added sadly. With that, they locked their doors and headed to the first shop on the block. Aggie remained tense as they walked.

"So... First thing. We have to go into a clothes store and get some basic items of clothing. Jeans and shirts and whatnot..." Courtney began as she looked at her list she had written. "Then, we need to get some shoes... Then accessories if we still have money. Then we might want to the hair salon."

"Why?" Norman asked.

"Well, because a girl can't fit in if she doesn't have a up-to-date hair style!" Courtney huffed. "Honestly, little bro... No idea on fashion what-so-ever..." She returned to her list and began to mutter things. Norman looked at Neil and Aggie and shrugged.

When they entered the first store, Courtney began to shift from foot to foot with excitement. She turned to look at the other three. "Alright... So, Norman and Neil; you two do whatever you like. Stare at girls and whatever other things fifteen year old boys do. Just don't do anything stupid... I will call you over whenever I may need you. Keep your phone on..." she instructed. "As for you," she turned to Aggie. "We are going to totally have lots of fun. Just you and me! Girl... We are going to shop until we drop!"

"That sounds dangerous..." Aggie gasped.

"Just another figure of speech..." Norman whispered to her.

"OH! Okay! Where do we start?" Aggie asked nervously. Courtney gave a small squeal.

"Jeans... Then shirts. Then dresses."

Norman gave Aggie a reassuring smile and gave her shoulder a little squeeze. "You can use Courtney's phone if you need me. Neil and I won't go too far."

"Yeah! This will be fun!" Courtney added as she readjusted the strap of her purse.

Aggie nodded and turned to Norman. "Alright..." she said quietly. She gave him a quick grin before turning. Courtney wrapped her arm around Aggie's shoulders and began to walk with her. Before she got out of complete sight within the masses of clothing, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a wink.

"Lets go get something to eat..." Norman told Neil.

"You mean, you're alright that your sister is in charge of Aggie?" Neil asked. He must have understood the tension and it quite surprised Norman.

"I think that she will be fine. I know that Courtney can handle the situation. And Aggie is pretty easy going once she gets used to things..." he told Neil as he turned around and pulled out his wallet to count how much he had. Neil followed.

Perhaps Norman had reassured Neil, but he wasn't too sure that he reassured himself. He trusting of Courtney. He knew she wasn't going to go too far. However, he knew that didn't tell Neil the whole truth because he wasn't completely sure how Aggie would hold out before she lost it.

With that, he turned up the volume on his phone just in case.


	7. Dresses, Bomber Jackets and Fear

The boys had quite enjoyed their lunch and Witchy Wieners as they waited. Courtney had texted Norman and told him that they were running across the street to get their hair cut first and left the clothes there. When he had responded with "WHY!?" she replied back that it was necessary that her hair be styled so that they could draw better conclusions on styles.

With that, Norman just rolled his eyes and typed in "OK" and went back to finishing lunch.

When they left, they decided to check the parking meter and found that it still had 45 minutes left on it and crossed over to the movie shop. After about fifteen minutes of looking and laughing about some of the stupid movie covers, Norman got a text that they were going back to shopping for clothes. He then requested that she send a picture of Aggie with her hair cut. Within just a few seconds, his phone alerted him of a new picture message.

"How did it go?"

"I am assuming that she didn't yell at the person cutting her hair about how close the scissors were close to her face..." Norman chuckled as he opened up the message. Neil looked over his shoulder at it.

Aggie seemed different just with her hair done differently. Despite his baggy shirt and Courtney's capris and flip-flops, she appeared almost older. She seemed her age.

Courtney had apparently already had the image in her head when she told the hair dresser how to cut it. She had kept the length of the locks but long layers had been nicely cut into the ends and the hair around her face was a nice frame. He also noticed that she had side-sweeping bang that blended into the rest of the frame around her face nicely.

"Wow!" Neil breathed as he looked at it.

Norman just remained silent. He didn't want to say anything that was on his mind... Really... What was on his mind made no sense to him at the moment. Instead, he just grinned at Neil and put his phone back in his pocket.

"She looks different. That is for sure..." was all that said before forcing himself to become distracted.

As they waited, about ten minutes later, Norman's phone began to ring. He pulled in out of his pocket and saw that Courtney was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey, Twerp," she responded. "Are you and Neil doing anything right now?"

"No..."

"Okay... Come back over to the clothing store and come to the back where the dressing rooms are."

"Why?"

"Just come... She wants second opinions."

"Aren't you a second opinion?"

"From a boy, Norman," she groaned. "Now, hurry over so we can get over to the shoes. I already had a few picked out..."

"Fine. Neil and I will be over there in a few minutes..."

"Good." And she hung up.

"They want us over there. Aggie wants a second opinion from a guy. So, we are the lucky souls..." Norman told his friend as they moved out of the store. As they walked, Norman dropped some changed into the parking meter once more and they went inside.

When they got to the back, Courtney was sitting on a chair with a mess load of clothes strewn all over the place with her phone in her hand.

"Alright, Aggie! We're here!" Neil told her. Neil sat beside Courtney and Norman decided to stand.

"Okay..." she seemed a little more confident than when they had left her.

She opened the door and came out slowly. She stood in front of them in a sundress that seemed to be like the night sky and had stars littering the ends of the dress. It was a three quarter length sleeve. It suited her well and Norman couldn't help but stare a little...

"I like that one!" Courtney grinned. "Boys?"

"Yes..." they both muttered.

"Show them the other outfit..."

She went back in and changed. The next few outfits were a little more casual.

One was with some dark denim skinny jeans and a slightly form fitting graphic t-shirt that had a lightning bolt go across. She held up a few more t-shirts to show them the multiple ones they like. When they gave the approval, she went back in. The next was another pair of jeans, only these were flare and the top she wore was a loose blouse that had black and white stripes. She also had a few other shirts like that. When she came out with the last few, Norman couldn't help but smile at the style. His favorite was the last one that she wore. Some skinny khaki pants, a black shirt and a bomber jacket that was strangly red instead of its normal earthy colors.

"We would get a few more colors of the khakis so she could change it up when she needed to..." Courtey told them but Norman didn't really respond.

"The shoes that we like were a pair of boat shoes to go with anything. A pair or two of flip-flops and a pair of boots for when I am outside," Aggie finally said. She wore what Norman could perceieve was an expression of relief and excitement. She felt that she was fitting in...

"Courtney... What about money?" Norman whispered.

"Mom and Dad said to get her anything she needed. This is going to be what she will wear. It may seem like a lot, but she had nothing..." Courtney reminded. He nodded and stood straight.

"Perhaps we should check out..." Norman told them. "They all look good and I think that you will feel more at home when you have your own clothes and you're not forced to wear my t-shirts." Aggie gave Norman a bashful grin and nodded as she went back into the dressing room.

"How's about you pick an outfit you want to wear home and I'll take the tag so we can pay for it while you change into it?" Courtney told her as she opened the door. She nodded and handed her all of the clothes besides the dress. She pulled off the tag and disappeared to change.

"We'll wait..." Neil told Courtney as she shrugged and went to the cash register.

When Aggie was done, they joined Courtney at the register and they left. When they stepped outside, the wind began to whip harder than usual. A cold chill blew and all four of them shivered. Then, the chill was gone and the temperature seemed to go back to normal.

As they walked to the car, the temperature suddenly rose and a hot gust blew at them. Norman began to regret having his hoodie on. Just as quick as it had come, it was gone once more and the fall air settled back in. Courtney looked up at the sky as though it may reveal something hidden.

"Ouch!" she hissed. The other three looked at her to find that she had stopped and was rubbing her arm. "Who did that?"

"Did what?" Neil asked.

"Pinched me..."

"You must be- OUCH!" Neil jumped mid-sentence and rubbed his leg. "Now somebody pinched me!"

"You guys! Cut it out!" Norman hissed. Courtney let out another yelp and charged forward.

"I'm serious Norman! Something keeps pinching me and I can't see it!"

"I-ouch!"

There is was... He looked at his arm and found that he had a little red mark slowly forming on his skin. He furrowed his brow in confusion but his attention was pulled away when somebody walking by was letting out a loud "ouch!" as he ran by.

"What is it!?" Norman asked in a panic.

"You're asking me!" Courtney told him. "Lets run!"

They dashed for the car that was just barely out of reach. They were only a good five feet away when the wind began to blow in every direction. A loud screeching noise sounded through the air. Ear-piercing, the screech faded into nothing.

"What was that?" Neil questioned, his voice shaky.

"I-I don't know!" Norman replied. "Courtney! Open the car!"

She began to fumble with the keys and ran to the car door. She unlocked the driver's door and then pressed the switch to unlock the rest of the doors. The other three filed in.

"Neil! Sit up front!" Aggie demanded as she slid in. "Norman... Sit back here"

They both nodded and did as she said. When they all got buckled, the car suddenly lurched toward the middle of the road and tossed them inside. Then it became still. Courtney's hands were now shaking and Neil covered his eyes with his hands.

"Alright Norman! You tell me! What is going on!?" Courtney practically screamed in panic. She pulled out of the space and into the road.

"I said I don't know!"

"Look, Norman!" Neil cried suddenly as he pointed. Their heads all whipped in the direction he pointed. Surely enough, a deformed, half-naked, winged monkey figure swooped down and disappeared. The hood of the car let out a loud "thunk" from the creature landing.

"What in the name of good and evil was that!?"

"Demons..." Aggie whispered. "They're demons! Demonic spirits! And their loose!"

"You're kidding right?" Norman asked as he looked at her.

"I'm not... I-"

"Can they come into the car?" Courtney asked as she drove quickly. People panicked as they went.

"Not that I know of?"

"You say that in the form of a question..." Norman said as he looked back outside.

"Because I don't think so... I'm not completely sure..." she responded. "So far, they haven't been able to."

"What do we do then?"

"OH MY GOD! That one is making strange faces at me!" Neil cried out as he looked out his window. Sure enough, there was a creature that stuck out his tongue and stretched his mouth out in mocking ways at the the boy on the other side of the glass. Something struck Norman's curiosity about this creature.

"Don't those things, like... Possess people and stuff?!" Courtney cried as she drove. Her knuckles were white from the pressure she put on the wheel. "Like in that scary movie?"

"They do... But I don't think that these are wanting to possess anybody at the moment..."

Norman's mind began to race. He was confused as to how familiar these demons seemed to him. Animalistic... Not to mention the fact that Neil and Courtney could see them as well as Aggie and himself. It was almost concerning...

Suddenly, a loud bang rang through the air and the apparitions gave out another ear-piercing wail before they disappearing into the ground below. With their exit, the wind around the car began to slow. The crowd of panicked residents began to slow their pace as their eyes searched for any more terrors that may suddenly appear.

Everybody in the car became still... Even Courtney stopped in the middle of an intersection for a while to regain her bearings.

"How about... We get on home..." Neil finally broke the silence with a start.

Courtney realized that she was in the middle of the intersection and after she rubbed her eyes to rid the rest of the surprise, she applied pressure on the pedal and slowly cruised on.

"I just hope that none of those things did anything to this car," she sighed as she turned the corner. "If they put even a scratch on it, I think that Dad might send me with them next time."

"If they come back..." Neil mumbled nervously.

"Yeah..." Norman spoke softly. His mind didn't even registar his volume and frankly he didn't care how soft it was when he repeated: "If they come back..."

_HEY GUYS! It is me. So, those who follow and reviewed, I am sorry I never replied back or thanked you sooner. My email was weird and it had blown up with lots of mail that I didn't need. So, I finally found the good ones and I replied back to you guys._

_Hope you have enjoyed so far!_


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